Hayden Clinches AMA Superbike Title!
AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, Round 15, Virginia Int'l Raceway - Alton, VA, August 10, 2002 Honda Racing's Nicky Hayden won the first race today at Virginia International Raceway and clinched the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Title. "I am so happy to win the title" said an elated Hayden, "I just want to thank everybody at Honda, all my mechanics especially, I don't think people realize sometimes how hard these guys work, I mean, it's just ridiculous how many hours and stuff they work". Hayden started the race in 4th place and was riding steady when on lap 8 Aaron Yates tucked the front end and slid off the course moving Hayden to 3rd. Next up was Eric Bostrom, who crashed on lap 9 going into turn 4 after his engine locked up. Mladin then moved into 1st place followed closely by Hayden. With Hayden pressuring, Mladin had an off course excursion which dropped him well back in the pack. Hayden would go on to win by over 8 seconds earning him the victory and the championship. Red Rider Miguel Duhamel had a consistent race and ended up in 3rd place making it two on the podium for Honda. Today's finish clinches 3rd place in the championship point standings for Duhamel. Erion Racing's Kurtis Roberts put in a great ride to finish just off the podium in 4th place. Kurtis who is on the road to a full recovery after his practice crash in Fontana is looking to put in some good finishes and then start looking ahead to next year. VIR AMA Superbike Race 1 Finishing Order: 1. Nicky Hayden - Honda 2. Doug Chandler - Ducati 3. Miguel Duhamel - Honda 4. Kurtis Roberts - Honda 5. Pascal Picotte - Ducati AMA Superbike Points Standings: 1. Nicky Hayden - Honda - 488 2. Eric Bostrom - Kawasaki - 414 3. Miguel Duhamel - Honda 375 4. Pascal Picotte - Ducati - 330 5. Aaron Yates- Suzuki - 316 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, Round 16, Virginia Int'l Raceway - Alton, VA, August 11, 2002 Honda Racing's Nicky Hayden was happy he clinched the title on Saturday. Today's race saw the field get out cleanly with Hayden in 3rd place. On the 7th lap Hayden lost the front in turn 10 and skidded onto the grass where his bike caught fire bringing out what would be the first of three red flags for the day. Erion Honda Racing's Kurtis Roberts luck wasn't much better. After the red flag re-start he was running in 3rd place when he crashed. He was unhurt but unable to continue. His bike laying on the track brought out the 2nd red flag of the day. Red flags and re-starts took their toll on Red Rider Miguel Duhamel who had a long day finishing in 25th place 1 lap down. Duhamel clinched 3rd place in the championship on Saturday. VIR AMA Superbike Race 2 Finishing Order: 1. Eric Bostrom - Kawasaki 2. Mat Mladin - Suzuki 3. Aaron Yates - Suzuki 4. Doug Chandler - Ducati 5. Jason Disalvo - Suzuki 25. Miguel Duhamel - Honda AMA Superbike Points Standings: 1. Nicky Hayden - Honda - 488 2. Eric Bostrom - Kawasaki - 451 3. Miguel Duhamel - Honda 381 4. Pascal Picotte - Ducati - 350 5. Aaron Yates- Suzuki - 345 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme, Round 14, Virginia Int'l Raceway - Alton, VA, August 11, 2002 Bruce Transportation Group / Honda Racing's Jake Zemke put in an amazing run today and finished in 3rd place narrowly missing out on the Formula Xtreme Championship. Zemke and Roger Hayden had a first turn mis-hap as Zemke attempted to dive under Hayden. The two bumped taking Hayden out and Zemke off the course. Zemke would re-join the race in 17th place and make an amazing charge to eventually finish in 3rd place. Erion Honda Racing's Mike Hale put in a solid ride in the final race of the season to finish in 4th place for the race and 4th place in the championship point standings. VIR Formula Xtreme Final Results: 1. Adam Fergusson - Suzuki 2. Jason Pridmore - Suzuki 3. Jake Zemke - Honda 4. Mike Hale - Honda 5. Tom Kipp - Suzuki Formula Xtreme Point Standings After 14 of 14 Rounds: 1. Jason Pridmore - Suzuki - 273* 2. Jake Zemke - Honda - 273 3. Damon Buckmaster - Yamaha - 256 4. Mike Hale - Honda - 237 5. Lance Isaacs - Yamaha - 175 *Pridmore wins the championship based on 2 wins vs. Zemke's 1 win. AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, Pro Honda Oils Supersport, Virginia Int'l Raceway - Alton, VA, August 11, 2002 Erion Honda Racing's Roger Hayden put in a solid race to finish in 6th place and secure 5th place in the championship point standings. Bruce Transportation Group / Honda Racing's Jake Zemke got off the line in 3rd place and was breaking away with the lead pack when he pulled off the course on lap 10. VIR Pro Honda Oils Supersport Results: 1. Tommy Hayden - Kawasaki 2. Josh Hayes - Suzuki 3. Jason Pridmore - Suzuki 4. Anthony Gobert - Yamaha 5. Damon Buckmaster - Yamaha 6. Roger Hayden - Honda 10. Alex Gobert - Honda 11. Andrew Nelson - Honda 12. Mike Hale - Honda Pro Honda Oils Supersport Points Standings 1. Aaron Yates - Suzuki - 311 2. Tommy Hayden - Kawasaki - 278 3. Damon Buckmaster - Yamaha - 252 4. Jason Pridmore - Suzuki - 248 5. Roger Hayden - Honda - 216
